


The Curious Case of Moon Taeil

by weatherworn



Category: K-pop, NCT (Band)
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, M/M, Prompt Fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-31
Updated: 2017-03-31
Packaged: 2018-10-13 03:45:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10505721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/weatherworn/pseuds/weatherworn
Summary: When Taeil suddenly de-ages, what's surprising is that he's a terror to babysit, but what isn't surprising is how he wouldn't stop clinging to Johnny.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [NCTprompts_V](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/NCTprompts_V) collection. 



Johnny knows something is wrong when he is awaken by Taeyong on the one morning when they didn't have to get up early for schedules. And usually Taeyong never wakes up before Johnny. 

"Youngho," Taeyong hisses, nudging him urgently. "Something's wrong with Taeil hyung."

Okay, now Johnny's _really_ awake. He scrambles out of the bed and without another thought, starts heading to Taeyong and Taeil's room, looking back behind him at Taeyong. "What happened?" He asks, his heart in his throat.

Taeyong doesn't respond right away, which further concerns Johnny. He pushes open the door to their room, expecting to be horrified by what he finds, but...everything in the room looks the same, spotless thanks to Taeyong's meticulous cleanliness. It's not until he approaches Taeil's bed that he sees what's amiss.

"Who's the kid?" He asks, turning to Taeyong. He looks back at the sleeping child, who doesn't look more than five years old. He's curled up on his side and there's some drool clinging to the corner of his mouth. The t-shirt that Taeil wore to sleep last night now hangs on this kid. Well, hangs more so on this kid. There's something very familiar about his face to Johnny, the shape of those eyes, even closed, and his lips.

"Oh, my god," he says in a hushed whisper, turning to Taeyong in shock, who looks back at him as if to say _I TOLD YOU SO_. Taeil never made any mention that he has a younger brother and why would he be at the dorms anyway and even if that's the case, where is Taeil-

The child begins to stir, rolling on his back and stretching noisily before opening his eyes. He notices Johnny and Taeyong and turns to peer at them through squinting eyes. He brightens at the sight of Johnny and jumps up from the bed to fling himself at Johnny, Johnny taking a step back from the force of the collision, but managing to grab a hold of the kid so he doesn't slide to the ground.

"Youngho!" The kid says happily.

"Taeil hyung?" Johnny tries, feeling silly because surely this isn't actually Taeil, maybe Taeil snuck a cousin who looks remarkably like him into the dorm to fulfill the kid's dream or something, that seems like something Taeil hyung would do-

"Yeah?" The kid answers, looking up at Johnny expectantly.

_Oh, shit_. 

\---

Johnny and Taeyong scuttle with the kid - Taeil, wearing a set of clothes that Taeyong was able to text a makeup noona to get and deliver to him discreetly - over to their manager hyung, who looks at them dead in the eyes and says, "Yeah, this stuff has happened before with some of the senior groups."

"What the fu-," Johnny starts to say before he remembers he's in the presence of a child. "Funny how you've never mentioned that before, hyung," he finishes pointedly.

"I'm sorry!" The manager says sheepishly to them, genuinely contrite. "Even after all these years, we still haven't figured out what's causing the de-aging, maybe it's the building or something in the water, maybe it's the Curse of SM, but it hadn't happened in a while, so we thought we were safe!"

"So what are we supposed to do?" Taeyong asks sensibly, keeping an eye on 'Taeil,' who's climbing on the couch, then sliding off, only to climb back on again to slide off, seemingly tireless.

"They usually revert back in a couple of days," the manager explains. "We'll cancel and move around some of his schedules. We also have a nanny that can come in to watch him."

"Should we tell his family?" Johnny asks, watching Taeil grow bored of the couch and wandering off to the window to stare out of it.

"I'd prefer you don't," the manager says. "But obviously I can't control what you guys do. We've always handled the situation in-house until it blows over."

Johnny and Taeyong walk back to their apartment with Taeil in tow between them, debating the ethics of not telling his family about this. 

"Shouldn't his family have the right to know what happened?" Johnny reasons. "We should totally tell them."

"Yes, but they're going to take him away and even if, I mean when, Taeil hyung ages back, they might not let him come back," Taeyong says. "I mean, would you let _your_ kid go back to a place that, I don't know, magically de-ages people? And people still haven't figured out why?" 

"I'm hungry," Taeil announces.

"Alright, buddy, let's go get you something to eat," Johnny says, glad for the distraction from having to think of the ethical and moral ramifications of not letting Taeil's family know, in addition to Taeil's wellbeing. He doesn't want to make this a bigger deal than it already is and if the manager says Taeil's going to go back to normal in a couple of days, he's just going to have to trust that. Meanwhile, how did he know it's not going to happen to him or someone else? _Why_ is this even happening in the first place? What the hell is going on?

They sit Taeil at the kitchen table and prepare some cereal for him, just as Jaehyun and Doyoung come wandering in, still in their pajamas.

"Who's the kid?" Jaehyun asks, stretching his arms and yawning.

Johnny shares a look with Taeyong before answering. "It's Taeil hyung."

Jaehyun breaks into a laugh. "Haha, good one, hyung." 

Doyoung bends to look the seated Taeil straight in the face, his gaze scrutinizing. Johnny watches in slow motion Doyoung's eyes widening in recognition. "Taeil hyung?" He says in a hushed whisper.

Taeil grins and flashes him a V sign. Doyoung sits heavily into the seat next to Taeil, looking dazed. Johnny thinks he knows just how Doyoung is feeling. 

"Do you know who I am?" Doyoung asks.

"You're Doyoung!" Taeil answers excitedly, as if ecstatic that he's gotten a question he knows the answer to. He points to Johnny and the rest of them. "And that's Youngho, Taeyong, and Jaehyun!"

"Well, at least his memory didn't de-age with the rest of him," Taeyong remarks with a look of relief on his face.

"What the hell-I mean heck is going on?" Doyoung says, still staring at Taeil, who has gone back to eating his cereal, oblivious.

"Manager hyung says this kind of stuff has happened before with our seniors," Johnny says. "He should be back to normal in a couple of days."

"Well, did he say _why_ it's happening?" Jaehyun asks, now serious. "How's this even possible? Am I still dreaming? Taeyong hyung, pinch me." Taeyong obliges. Jaehyun yelps at the pain, rubbing at the injured spot.

It's then that Yuta trots into the room, stopping short at the sight of everyone already gathered. He frowns and looks around. "What's going on?" He spots Taeil. "Who's the kid?"

"It's Taeil hyung," everyone answers him in unison.

"What?" Yuta scoffs immediately. "Stop playing, you guys. It's not funny." He turns to look more closely at Taeil and the disbelieving look on his face falters. "This is a joke, isn't it?" He asks uncertainly.

"Man, I wish," Johnny says, suddenly exhausted to the bone and the day has barely even begun. Taeil turns to him with big, doe eyes. "Youngho," he says quietly, holding his arms out.

Johnny hurries over and kneels to be at eye level with Taeil. "Yeah, buddy, what do you need?" 

Taeil clutches at Johnny and buries his face into his hoodie. "There's so many people," he says. Over Taeil's head, Johnny motions for everyone to get out of the kitchen and everyone starts moving at once to leave, although Taeyong lingers, mouthing silently to Johnny, "Let me know if you need help."

Johnny nods, grateful. It appears that Taeil seems to trust him, which is a good thing. He doesn't want baby Taeil to feel like he's not safe here, especially when he would've been with his parents at this age. Why weren't they telling his parents about this again?

Taeil picks his head up to look at Johnny, his face so trusting and happy. 

_Oh, yes, that's why_.

\---

Just as manager hyung promised, they cancel Taeil's schedules for the next few days and for some reason, Johnny is also told that they are going to reduce his schedules except for the Night Night radio broadcast with Jaehyun.

"We can bring the nanny in, but we also want to make sure that he's with people he's familiar with, so that he doesn't get out of sorts," the manager explains to him. "Trust us, we've had experience with this."

"So I've heard," Johnny says sourly, giving him the side-eye, which the manager deftly avoids by scurrying out of the room.

Not that Johnny thinks he's willing to let some stranger come in to watch baby Taeil anyway. Even if he or she is the most certified child care provider in the whole of South Korea, they're still a stranger to Johnny and baby Taeil. They wouldn't have the emotional investment or know how to make Taeil feel safe and cared for. Shit, this must be what being a parent feels like. Johnny's too young for this.

"So, Taeil, what do you feel like doing today?" Johnny asks, watching Taeil run around the room in circles. Tiny Taeil definitely has more energy than Grown-up Taeil.

"I don't know," Taeil says, whooshing by Johnny. Before Johnny could stop him, Taeil climbs up onto the couch and up the back of the couch to divebomb to the floor.

"Hey," Johnny says, a little too sharply, because he almost had a freaking _heart attack_. "Don't do that, you're going to hurt yourself."

Taeil stares at him, his bottom lip starting to wobble. Johnny suddenly feels like a horrible human being.

"Listen, buddy, I just want to make sure you don't get hurt," Johnny tries to sooth. "If you get hurt, you'll make me sad."

If anything, Taeil looks even more devastated. "I don't want you to be sad, Youngho." 

Oh crap, now everyone's sad. Johnny is doing a bang up job of baby-sitting. "It's okay, Taeil, I'm not sad as long as you're not hurt," Johnny says. "Just don't try to jump from really high places again, okay?"

Taeil nods enthusiastically and gets up to resume running around the room again. Johnny thinks maybe he needs to find something for Taeil to do that would expend some of his energy. And maybe he can even recruit some of the other members for this. 

"Taeil hy-, I mean, Taeil," Johnny says, trying to get his attention. "How do you feel about learning to dance?"

\---

Word gets around to the other members about Taeil's de-aging because no one can keep their mouths shut in NCT apparently, and Ten literally trips over the doorway of the practice studio, wanting to get a look at baby Taeil.

"Oh, my God, he's sooooOOooOooOo cute, Johnny," he coos in English. "I just want to, like, eat him."

"Please don't consume fellow members," Johnny says, fiddling with the boom box in the corner of the room. Meanwhile, Ten sidles up to Taeil, who is making funny faces at the mirror and chortling to himself. 

"Hi Taeil," Ten says, utterly besotted. "Whatcha doing there?"

"Nothing," Taeil says, suddenly shy, scurrying to hide himself behind Johnny's leg. Ten looks crestfallen. Johnny couldn't help but feel sorry for him. 

"Don't you remember Ten, Taeil?" Johnny says, moving his leg, only to have Taeil follow after it. He says to Ten in English, "I think you're coming on too strong."

"Are you kidding me, I gotta pull out flirting tactics even with kid Taeil?" Ten says incredulously, but he obliges, moving back on his haunches.

"Okay, Taeil, buddy, are you ready to dance?" Johnny asks.

"Yeah!" Taeil says. 

"I'm sorry, I can't hear you," Johnny says, cupping his ear. "I said, are you ready to dance?"

"YEAH!" Taeil and Ten roars together. Johnny stares at Ten, who shrugs. "I'm always ready to dance. You wanna dance together, Taeil?" Ten asks, looking sweetly at him, who nods excitedly.

Johnny presses play on the boom box and Firetruck comes on, which cracks Ten up to no end, but he starts dancing to the choreography, having memorized even though he wasn't part of 127. Johnny follows along, although with less grace and he fumbles some of the moves because he doesn't actually know it as well as Ten. He watches Taeil through the mirror following along and soon he's laughing too hard to even dance. He fumbles out his phone and starts recording it. Taeil's memory is irrefutably intact, confirmed by the fact that baby Taeil is killing it with the Firetruck choreography, even more so than Grown-up Taeil, what the hell. Ten and Johnny even lifts Taeil up for the Haechan part, Taeil all the while going WHEEEEEEE and laughing. 

"Let's do it again!" Taeil says, jumping up and down. "Lift me up! Lift me up again!"

And so they do, playing it five more times before Ten collapses on the floor, completely spent. "Go on without me," he says dramatically. "Know that I died doing what I loved."

Taeil giggles and jumps on Ten, who goes _oof_ , but catches Taeil and tumbles around with him on the floor. Johnny uses that time to gulp down some water from a case of water bottles by the door, and wipe the sweat off his face. 

It looks like Taeil is finally tiring as he lays on top of Ten, who looks pretty worn out himself. 

"Time for lunch and a nap, Taeil," Johnny says, shooting Ten a grateful smile.

"Noooooooooo," Taeil says, clutching at Ten. "I wanna dance some more."

"We'll dance later, but we gotta eat first," Johnny says sternly, holding out his hand for Taeil to take. He's relieved when Taeil complies, slipping his hand into Johnny's.

Taeyong had prepared some bibimbap by the time Johnny and Taeil returns, Ten unable to join because he has his own practice to go to that he had neglected in favor of playing with Taeil.

"Eat up, kiddo," Taeyong tells Taeil, placing the bowl of food in front of him and ruffling his hair affectionately. "I would've never been able to get away with that with Grown-Up Taeil," he says to Johnny.

"Yeah, tell me about it," Johnny replies. He watches Taeil dig in, scooping giant spoonfuls into his mouth and making a mess. Johnny has to use a napkin to wipe Taeil's mouth free of rice and chili pepper paste, who glares at him and pushes his hand away.

"I can't believe how well you're handling this," Taeyong remarks as he starts washing the dirty pans and utensils in the sink. 

"Did you think I was going to be a horrible baby-sitter?" Johnny says. "Because you'd be right. I think I almost made him cry like two times."

Taeyong shakes his head. "No, I meant emotionally, you know, because it's Taeil hyung."

Johnny tries to play dumb. "I don't know what you're talking about." 

Taeyong throws him a look of complete disdain. "Anyway," he says out loud, squeezing the sponge dry and putting it in its holder. "I would've called his parents right away if I didn't know he was going to be in good hands because I think the SM policy of ignoring it is bullsh-I mean, ridiculous, especially if it's going to affect the kid's well-being. But I guess I don't have to worry about it when I know he's with you." 

"I'll protect him with my life," Johnny says with conviction.

Taeyong smiles. "I know."

\---

Taeil drops off to sleep very quickly when Johnny tucks him for his mid-day nap. Johnny can't even go anywhere because he has Taeil tucked up against him, snoring softly and steadily. Johnny reaches over to pick up the book he had left on Taeil's bedside drawer before this...all happened and resumes reading it. However, he finds himself reading the same sentence over and over again, unable to concentrate.

He looks down at the sleeping Taeil and tries to gather his thoughts. It appears that even though Taeil reverted back to the mental, emotional, and physical capacity of a five-year-old, he has retained memory of his adulthood, which is a small miracle in light of everything else. He also thinks about what Taeyong said to him over lunch time, about how he himself is handling this. He feels...he doesn't know what he's feeling. Kid or not, Johnny has always felt the need to take care of Taeil, the way Taeil has always done for him. That itself has been firmly entrenched in him even before this happened. Grown-up Taeil seems a lot more self-conscious than baby Taeil, and Johnny can see the progression of how he came to be that way. Taeil having to carry the mantle of responsibility once he entered SM as one of the older members to debut with a band with members all younger than him. Taeil needed to set a good example as the older, dependable one among the group, always providing a listening and caring ear, but sometimes his eccentricity would burst through. Johnny finds himself inexorably charmed by all the questions Taeil would asked him about America and did Johnny think more in English or Korean? Did he dream in one language or the other, or both? How cold is Chicago really? If the Great Lakes turn to ice, how long do you think it would take to skate to Canada?

He finds himself smiling, looking down on the napping Taeil, the book now cast aside.

\---

Taeil naps for about 45 minutes and then he is up and running again. By this time, many of the members who did have schedules have returned to the dorms, including the kids in Dream. They pile into the apartment, wanting to take a look at a de-aged Taeil, who's now even younger than they are. Taeil peers at them every now and then when he's not hiding his face in Johnny's shoulder as Johnny is carrying him.

"Oh my gosh, he's so small," Renjun says, a soft look on his face. He makes faces at Taeil, trying to make him laugh, to which Taeil stares at him for a minute, before holding out his arms to him. Renjun looks surprised for a moment before taking him, except he looks like he's struggling to carry Taeil. He puts Taeil down on the floor in the middle of the living room and starts playing rock-paper-scissors with him, while the rest of the members look on, ranging on the reaction spectrum from Jeno grinning to openly gaping from Jisung. Johnny hovers nearby, waiting to dive in if necessary in case things might get out of hand. But the Dream kids are good kids and they're gentle with Taeil as they each vie for his attention. Chenle manages to hold Taeil's attention for about five minutes with his cell phone and its Pikachu case. Donghyuk gets ten minutes piggybacking Taeil around the apartment, being trailed by the rest of the kids like a mother duck with her baby ducks. They're baffled by the transformation, but seem to be taking it in stride like everyone else. Jisung even jokes that if Taeil doesn't turn back, they can just add him into Dream and no one would be able to tell the difference. Chenle reaches over to cuff him over the head.

"Wow, this is so weird," Mark says to Johnny, having stayed behind while the rest of the kids played with Taeil. "This is soooooooo weird."

"Dude, tell me about it," Johnny says. "They said he'll turn back in a few days and they better be right about that. That's the only reason why we're not telling his parents yet."

"What-what if he never changes back?" Mark says, his eyes wide, throwing out the possibility that Johnny was trying hard not to think about. Then they'd have to tell his parents and they'll take Taeil away and Johnny may potentially never see him again. That thought terrifies him more than anything else. He doesn't want to think of a future without Taeil.

"He'll turn back," Johnny says, willing it to be true. "He'll have to turn back."

\---

When Johnny has to leave for the Night Night broadcast, he hands Taeil over to Taeyong to babysit, but it's hard to leave him, especially when Taeil is clinging to Johnny, his eyes starting to water as he looks up at him.

"Don't go, Youngho," Taeil says, sniffing pitifully. He looks like he's done for the night, drooping like a wilted flower. Playing with the Dream kids has tired him out. Johnny kneels to give Taeil a hug, releasing him to look him in the eyes.

"I'll be back soon, buddy," he says gently. "Taeyong hyung is going to give you a bath, okay? And he's going to read you a story and play with you and give you some food and then you're going to bed."

"But I want to go with youuuuu," Taeil says, wrapping his little arms around Johnny's neck and clinging to him. "I don't wanna go to bed. I don't wanna take a bath."

"You're killing me, Taeil," Johnny says softly, prying Taeil's arms from his neck. "If you don't take a bath, you're going to be stinky. Do you wanna be stinky?"

Taeil shakes his head furiously.

"And if you don't get enough sleep, you're not going to grow into a big boy like me," Johnny says, pointedly ignoring Taeyong's soft snort above him. "I'll be back with you in the morning and I'll play with you then, okay? I'll pinky promise so you know I'm telling you the truth." He holds out his pinky and Taeil grins and curls his pinky around Johnny's. "Now listen to Taeyong hyung or else he'll tell me you didn't listen to him and I'll be sad, alright?"

Taeil nods again, rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"Ho boy," Johnny says to Taeyong, getting up from the floor. 

"Don't worry, Youngho," Taeyong reassures, curling an arm around Taeil, who's leaning heavily against his leg and yawning. "I'll take care of him. Have a good broadcast and don't get distracted. We'll be here when you get back."

"Yep," Johnny says, taking one last lingering look at Taeil before trotting out the door.

He does stay focused for the most part during the broadcast, trading comments and cultural exchange with Jaehyun, providing his foreign perspective on things. Taeil always said that was his favorite part of the broadcast, when Johnny would bust out with a factoid about America and English and Johnny had preened under the praise and the fact that Taeil is listening. During the commercial breaks, they discuss Taeil's situation.

"To be honest, I'm still expecting you guys to tell me it's all just a prank and Taeil's just going to pop up and be like, HAH," Jaehyun admits. "But this would be a very elaborate prank if it is. I mean, I've never seen manager hyung look so nervous." They turn to look at him behind the glass partition, a furrow between his brows as he scrolls through his phone. "And that's some child actor you got there if it is."

Johnny nods, only half listening as he looks at the clock on the wall. They're just about at the halfway point, and he wonders if Taeyong has put Taeil to bed yet. 

"Hey look, another comment from Doyoung that we can ignore," Jaehyun says cheerfully, pointing at the computer screen. There's a comment that reads, "Hi DJ-nim, you're probably ignoring this as expected, but I'm listening to your broadcast. In fact, all of us are keke. Including Taeil hyung. He likes hearing Johnny DJ's voice. Hwaiting!"

"Didn't I tell Taeyong to put him to bed? It's way past his bedtime," Johnny swears. "I'm going to kill him when I get back."

Jaehyun laughs. "You're being such a dad."

Johnny glares at Jaehyun, but before he gets to say anything, the prompt starts that tells them to prepare for their next segment. He puts his headphones back on and looks at the clock again, willing the time to go faster.

\---

Johnny bursts through the door of the dorm, Jaehyun trailing right behind him, and is greeted at the sight of Taeyong, Doyoung, and Sicheng on the couch, watching something on TV, but it's on mute. Taeyong puts his finger on his lips and nods his head towards his and Taeil's room. Johnny heaves a sigh of relief and sinks into the couch next to them, stretching his legs out in front of him. Taeyong reaches over to rub Johnny's shoulder and Johnny sinks his head onto Taeyong's shoulder. It's been a day.

"It's been a day," he says out loud. There's murmur of agreements around him. He pops his head back up again and glares at Taeyong. "Why'd you let him stay up so late?" He accuses.

Taeyong throws his hands up in defense. "He wasn't falling asleep and kept asking for you, so I told him that he can hear you over the radio. He was knocked out in like five minutes after that."

Johnny clutches his chest in mock hurt. "Oh man, falling asleep to our broadcast in five minutes. I think that's a new record, Jaehyun." He turns to Doyoung with a grateful smile. "Thank you for leaving that message."

Doyoung grins back. "Anytime."

Taeyong pushes Johnny off the couch. "You better get some rest for tomorrow. I'll let you know if anything happens during the night."

After taking a much needed hot, relaxing shower, Johnny settles into bed and bids Jaehyun a good night. It's been a very strange day and who knows how many more days like this lays ahead of them. They won't be able to keep this under wraps for very long because people are going to start noticing that Taeil is missing from their activities. Johnny sends up a prayer to whichever deities exists or is listening to give Taeil hyung back to him.

\---

Johnny is startled into consciousness by a small body jumping onto his.

"Wake up, wake up, Youngho," Taeil chants, climbing off Johnny to keep jumping on the bed. 

"No jumping on the bed, Taeil," Johnny croaks, trying to grab a hold of him, who jumps out of his grasp. It looks like Johnny's going to have to take drastic measures. He lunges for Taeil, who squeals and laughs delightedly when Johnny throws him in the air before catching him and blowing a raspberry onto his tummy. Johnny never thought this would be his life at twenty-two. At thirty-five maybe.

Johnny puts Taeil down to find Jaehyun glaring at the both of them from his bed on the other side of the room. "Ugh, you guys are disgustingly active in the morning. Get out of my room," he barks before burying his face in his pillow to go back to sleep.

Taeyong is already in the kitchen preparing their breakfast, with Sicheng trying to help, when Johnny sets Taeil down on the chair at the table. Johnny gratefully accepts a cup of coffee from Sicheng and gulps it down in preparation for another day of baby-sitting. Goddamn, it's hard, especially for someone who's surprisingly hyperactive when he was younger. Grown-up Taeil has his moments, but taking care of baby Taeil is unexpectedly exhausting. 

"What do you feel like doing today, Taeil?" Johnny asks, hoping he'd say he wants to spend the rest of the day reading books and napping, which Grown-Up Taeil would've been completely down with.

"Can we go outside?" Taeil says, looking up at Johnny. "I want to go to the park!"

Johnny was worried about the possibility that Taeil would want to go outside. He was hoping he didn't have to address it, but it looks like that bridge is going to need to be crossed. He looks up at Taeyong, hoping to find a solution from that front, but no luck, Taeyong just looks back at him blankly and shrugs. 

Johnny feels like this wouldn't have been an issue when they're were still trainees and even when they're were in SM Rookies. The attention and scrutiny that comes with idol territory wasn't as intense back then. But there will be people following after them and how will Johnny and the others explain the kid that they're towing along. Even worse, the lack of explanation would create a vacuum where false rumors will take its place instead. 

Johnny rubs his face in frustration, wanting to go back to bed again. He feels Taeil climbing onto his lap and puts an arm around him to keep him from falling off. 

"It's okay," Taeil says, patting Johnny's face with his little, pudgy hand.

"Guys, I think I have an idea," Sicheng says slowly.

\---

"Win Win, you're a genius," Taeyong says.

They've had to run the idea past the manager, who is able to scrounge up two cameramen at the last minute to film a one day NCT LIFE special episode of the members babysitting a kid. It won't be aired, but the set-up would at least give them an excuse for why they have a kid with them. Johnny is hoping they won't look too carefully into the resemblance to Taeil because he knows there's baby pictures of him floating out there somewhere on the Internet.

"I have my moments," Sicheng says, preening. He and Taeil are having a staring contest and both of them are taking the game very seriously.

As expected, they had been spotted by the group of fans right away once they exited the building, and there had been a chorus of cooing when they first saw Taeil bundled in Johnny's arms as they are walking the short distance to the van with the cameramen in tow. "Daddy Johnny!" Somebody had shouted and Johnny had wanted the ground to swallow him up, he was so embarrassed. He is never going to live that moment down, is he?

They drive far enough away that they leave the fans behind them and set Taeil down to go nuts on the playground in a suburban area of Seoul. There are no directors or producers to prompt them, but the cameramen follow after Taeil anyway, but stay a distance enough that he is oblivious to their presence. The guys decided to take turns in pairs to keep Taeil happy and entertained. Right now, it's Sicheng and Yuta's turn running around after Taeil as he scrambles from one end of the main playground structure to the other and catching him when he goes down the winding tube slide.

"Alright, snacky snack time," Taeyong announces, pulling out some dried squid, shrimp chips, and seaweed packs, along with small cartons of milk. He hands them around and prepares a set for Taeil. The cameramen are off to the side by the gates of the playground, taking a cigarette break.

"This is really nice," Yuta says, squinting his eyes against the sun and sipping his milk through the straw. "It's nice to have a break sometimes and just relax at the park."

There are murmurs of agreement. Taeil climbs onto Johnny's lap to eat his seaweed and sip his milk and Johnny holds him close, resting his chin on the top of Taeil's head. Having baby Taeil isn't so bad actually, because baby Taeil is way more clingy than Grown-Up Taeil. It has always felt like Johnny is constantly chasing after Taeil for his attention, and it isn't because Taeil is neglectful or ignoring him. Taeil can be so affectionate and caring towards his friends, but there's always a part of himself that he holds back, inaccessible to everyone. Johnny knows he's selfish because he wants all of Taeil hyung.

"We can play some more, but then we have to go back for your nap, Taeil," Johnny says, letting Taeil slap the palms of his hands over and over again playfully.

"Okay!" Taeil says, sliding off to run back to the slide.

After making sure that Taeyong and the rest of the guys are keeping an eye out for Taeil, he takes his phone out of his jacket pocket to check for messages. There's one from Sehun, in response to a text that Johnny had shot him earlier in the day, right before they left for the park.

Sehun: **Yeah, the de-aging thing happened to Kyungsoo hyung a couple of years back, too. It took about four days for him to turn back.**

What the hell, does it only happen to tiny main vocalists or something because that's the only pattern that Johnny can discern from this new piece of information. He texts back a message of thanks to Sehun.

Four days. Ohhhhhh boy.

\---

By the time the van pulls up to their dorm building, Taeil is already snoring away, his head heavy against Johnny's shoulder. Once again, he carries Taeil back _into_ the dorm, very carefully to try not to wake him up. He lays Taeil down on the bed and settles in next to him, pulling up the blanket over them both. He needs a nap himself.

After what seems like a very brief, but restful and dreamless nap, he wakes and looks over at the clock to make sure he hasn't slept past his time to go to the Night Night broadcast. His manager or Jaehyun would've waken him up if that was the case anyway. Taeil is tucked into Johnny's side, still fast asleep, his little chest rising and lowering with each steady breath.

He moves carefully away, being mindful not to jostle Taeil out of his nap and with one last look at him, leaves the room, closing the door softly behind him. 

Taeyong is in the living room, playing a video game, and Johnny goes to plop down next to him, leaning his head back against the couch.

"I convinced them to have Doyoung go as a special DJ in your place for tonight's broadcast," Taeyong says conversationally as he kills another zombie on the screen. Johnny picks his head up so quickly, he hears his neck crack. Ow.

"What?" Johnny says, hardly believing his ears.

"You heard me," Taeyong says, the whispers of a smirk on his face. "This also lets me off the hook tonight because apparently I'm not a good enough parent for your precious Taeil. Now _you_ can give him a bath and _you_ can make him dinner and _you_ can put him to bed. I quit. This marriage is over. You don't appreciate me."

Johnny throws his arms around Taeyong and plants a big one on his cheek. "Thank you so much, I owe you one." 

"Ugh, get away from me," Taeyong says in mock disgust, shoving Johnny away. 

Johnny watches Taeyong play for a few more minutes before he hears a small voice, "Youngho?" He turns to see Taeil standing at the entryway to the living room, holding onto the wall and rubbing his eyes with his fist.

"C'mere, buddy," Johnny says, holding up his arms. Taeil grins, brightening up, and dashes around the couch to leap into Youngho's lap. Taeyong quickly turns off his game since it's not exactly suitable for kids.

"How was your nap?" Johnny asks.

Taeil shrugs his little shoulders. "It was okay. I missed you," he says, grabbing Johnny's arm and hugging it. Johnny is ready to melt and from the look on Taeyong's face, so is he.

"I'm right here, buddy. I'm always going to be here for you, okay?" Johnny reassures. "I also have good news. Do you want to know what it is?"

Taeil nods excitedly.

"I don't have to go to work today," Johnny announces with fanfare. "So I get to hang out with you tonight."

"Yaaaaaay," Taeil cheers, throwing up his hands and clapping. "Can you read me a story?" 

"Of course I can, little dude," Johnny says. "It'll be my pleasure. Why don't you grab one from the ones that Jaehyun got for us today?"

"Uh-huh, okay," Taeil says, sliding off Johnny's lap to retrieve one from his and Taeyong's room.

Taeyong watches Taeil as he rounds the corner and disappears and turns back to Johnny. "You'd make a great parent someday," he remarks idly. "Do you think you'd want kids?"

Johnny thinks about it. He definitely wants to have a family someday and hanging out with children, even the Dream kids when they were already older than baby Taeil now, has always been a lot of fun. But he's never thought much about the far future, especially when he had been waiting for the near future to begin. Now that it has, he's too busy to think about anything beyond the next week or even the next day. But...yes, he would like to raise children with the person he loves someday, somewhere in the far, nebulous future. He thinks Taeil would be a great dad, too.

Taeil comes running back and climbs up onto the couch with the book in his hands and gives it to Johnny, looking up at him expectantly. Johnny heaves Taeil onto his lap and opens the picture book to read. Now this is Korean that's closer to his reading comprehension level.

Bath time with Taeil after dinner with the rest of the members sans Doyoung and Jaehyun poses a challenge for Johnny. He stares down at Taeil in the middle of the bathroom, who stares back up at him. Johnny turns around and hollers, "Taeyong!"

Taeyong comes running in a short moment later, out of breath. "What, what?"

Johnny rubs the back of his neck, feeling like scum. "I feel...uncomfortable about giving Taeil a bath?"

"Why?" Taeyong asks, baffled.

"I don't know, it feels like an invasion of privacy and personal space and I'm having issues that he's not in the position to consent to this," Johnny tries to explain his mixed feelings on the matter, but judging by the flat look that Taeyong is leveling at him, it isn't working.

"God, I have to do everything in this household," Taeyong says, ushering Johnny out of the bathroom and shutting the door in his face.

Twenty minutes later, a squeaky clean, pajamas-clad Taeil flies out of the bathroom and into Johnny's arms, Taeyong trailing behind, the whole front of his t-shirt drenched with water. "Read me another story!" Taeil demands. 

"Yeah, alright, as you wish, Your Highness," Johnny agrees, laughing. Taeyong collapses onto his own bed without a word, wiped.

After reading two more books, Taeil yawns widely and rubs his eyes, leaning heavily against Johnny. "Sleepy?" Johnny murmurs, rubbing his back. Taeil nods, trying to keep his eyes open.

"Alright, let's get you into bed," Johnny says, pulling the covers back for Taeil, who wiggles into the mattress and settles. Johnny tucks him and in a moment of self indulgence, lightly kisses Taeil's forehead.

"Have a good night," Johnny says, getting up to leave. Taeil grabs his hand to stop him.

"Nooo, don't go, Youngho," Taeil pleads. "Stay here with me!"

Johnny looks over at Taeyong, who's already snoring away, lying on top of his covers. "Alright, buddy, but let me get a blanket for Taeyong first," Johnny says. "He might get cold at night." He grabs a fleece blanket from the closet and pulls it over Taeyong. He then goes to shut off the light and settles in with Taeil, who snuggles into Johnny. 

"Did you have a good day today?" Johnny murmurs.

He feels Taeil nod against his chest. "I love you, Youngho," he says sleepily.

Johnny freezes, and he stares into the dark in shock. He knows baby Taeil means it as the child's way of expressing his love for a caretaker or his parents, not in... _that_ way. Oh god, that would be so wrong. But it still knocks Johnny sideways because well, everything about Taeil hyung usually knocks him sideways. He realizes more and more the difference between childhood and adulthood, not only for Taeil, but for people in general. Children are so innocent and so they express themselves more freely, but they learn to keep secrets when they get older, wiser and more battle hardened. Innocence and honesty are both the first casualties of adulthood.

By this time, Taeil is already snoring away. Johnny pulls him closer and closes his eyes.

\---

The first thing Johnny notices when his eyes open the next morning is that he's not in his own bed. And the second thing is that he's no longer covered by a blanket. Third thing he notices, when he turns his head, is that Grown-Up Taeil is back.

"Ho shit," he blurts out, shooting up on the bed, overjoyed and relieved. "Hyung!"

Taeil is upright on the side of the bed and he has the blanket wrapped around himself. The first thing he says to Johnny is, "Um, I don't think the clothes fit anymore." 

"Oh, oh, yeah," Johnny says, spurred to action. "Lemme get you some regular clothes." He stops short and squints at Grown-Up Taeil. "How much do you remember?"

Taeil flushes pink and he ducks his head. "Um, everything. Sorry, I remember myself be a terror. My mom can probably confirm that."

Johnny laughs, feeling giddy. "What, no, hyung, oh my god." He hands the clothes that he had retrieved from Taeil's closet to him, Taeil snaking out a hand to grab them and disappearing again under the blanket. Taeyong's bed is empty and already made.

"I-I'm going to be out in the living room," Johnny says, backing away, still in disbelief that Taeil is finally back.

Taeil nods. "Thanks, Youngho, for everything. I'll be right out."

Johnny quickly sends a group text to all the members that Grown-Up Taeil is back. The first text he gets back is from Ten: **:ccccccc** , followed by a second one quickly soon after: **I mean, :D :D :D**

The next one is from Hansol: **Um, what are you talking about?**

"No one told Hansol what happened?" Johnny says out loud to the empty living room, incredulous. "Wait, did anyone tell _Jaemin_?"

Before he can read anymore texts that are now buzzing in in quick succession, Taeil appears by the entryway, still looking sheepish. Johnny quickly throws the phone to the side and stands up. "How are you feeling?" He asks.

Taeil's face is pensive as he thinks about it. "Uh, a little out of sorts. It feels like I just had a dream, actually, but I remember everything very vividly. Did anyone ever explained why it happened?"

Johnny shakes his head, starting to get angry again. "Sehun told me it happened to Kyungsoo hyung too. I can't believe no one told us anything before we joined. You'd think something like this should be mentioned in the contract or something."

"Would it have stopped you from joining anyway?" Taeil says, a small, teasing smile playing on his lips.

Johnny grins back. "Probably not."

\---

Everyone comes by when they're free from their schedules to see Taeil, including Hansol, who missed everything because no one told him.

"Wow, thanks, you guys," Hansol says dryly but without much heat. He pats Taeil on the shoulder. "Well, I'm glad you're okay, though."

"Thanks," Taeil says, looking overwhelmed by all the attention he is getting. "I'm just glad to be back."

Taeyong acts put out by how much Taeil put him through and Taeil placates him by promising to clean their room....at some point in time. "Fine, I'll try to keep things as clean and organized as possible, how about that?" Taeil says pleadingly. "Thank you, Taeyong, for taking care of me."

Taeyong suddenly grins and throws his arm around Taeil's shoulder. "I'm just kidding, Taeil, especially when the person who did the most work taking care of you was Youngho over there." Behind Taeil's back, he tries to wink at Johnny, who glares at him, but quickly smiles at Taeil when Taeil turns to look at him.

"I know," Taeil says, rubbing the back of his neck. "Thank you for taking care of me, Youngho. I know it must not have been easy. I was...pretty rowdy when I was younger."

"Which begs the question, WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?" Taeyong asks.

Taeil shrugs. "I grew up."

\---

Things finally and blessedly go back to normal, except...

If Johnny doesn't know any better, he thinks that Taeil is actively trying to avoid him. They're always running off in different directions for different schedules when they're not promoting a new album, so at first Johnny doesn't notice, but then he realizes that the rituals that he and Taeil used to do together have been missing since Taeil de-aged. Like when they always talk before going to bed or the texting back and forth they would do throughout the day. He sends some and Taeil would reply back promptly, but never initiates any on his own, like he used to do before, with messages often full of just emojis and nonsense. Johnny misses it and also feels wounded that Taeil would be trying to avoid him. Did he do something wrong? Is he perhaps overreacting?

Taeil finally approaches him late one night and asks if he wants to go on a convenience store run. 

"I've been having the most random craving for milk for some reason," Taeil tells him. "And we're all out. Because I drank it all. I don't suppose it will help me grow any taller anymore, would it?"

It appears like Taeil is preoccupied with something as they walk over the short three blocks in the warm night air. Johnny takes a deep breath of courage and goes in. "Is something wrong, hyung?" 

Taeil stops and looks at Johnny. "No, no, of course not," he says, looking like a deer in headlights. Then he sighs resignedly and Johnny watches him duck his head and scuff his sneaker against the pavement. "Um, there is something I wanted to talk to you about."

Johnny's heart jumps to his throat and he tries to think of anything he had done to offend Taeil perhaps. Was he chewing too loudly during dinner? Did he say something that unintentionally hurt Taeil? Was he...inappropriate in any way when he was talking care of baby Taeil? He could never forgive himself if _that_ was the case. "What is it?" He finally says, every word a struggle.

Taeil scrunches up his face and finally looks up at Johnny. "I ...remember saying something to you the last night before I turned back."

Johnny knows immediately what Taeil is referring to because he hasn't forgotten it, having thought about it at random times of the day. He can't decide if he should deny remembering it to ease Taeil's discomfort. The feeling isn't exactly altruistic because Johnny desperately wants things to go back to the way they were before everything, except...except Johnny does desire more.

Johnny tries to be careful of what he says next, so he says it slowly and deliberately. "I know what you meant when you said it," he tries to reassure Taeil, as if he is trying to appease a scared animal. "It's okay, I understand."

Instead of looking relieved, Taeil's brows furrow further in frustration. "No, I don't think you do," he says, staring at Johnny. "I remembering feeling like I was telling the truth for the first time in my life when I said that I love you."

Johnny is stunned silent, hardly daring to believe. "Taeil hyung, don't do this to me," he says. "Don't tell me something I want to hear just because you're feeling grateful. That's not necessary."

"I'm not," Taeil insists, moving towards Johnny, but stops when he realizes where he is. He huffs out a sigh of frustration. "Alright, let's talk about this when we get back."

They run the rest of the errand in tense silence, Johnny feeling like he's standing on the edge of a precipice and he isn't sure if he wants to jump or not. He's not sure if Taeil would be there to catch him.

Taeil hurries ahead of him back into the elevator taking them up to their apartment. Once the doors close behind them, Johnny is too startled to react when Taeil presses the stop button, pushes close, reaches up, and pulls him down for a bruising kiss. Johnny gasps into it, but Taeil is insistent, on the edge of desperation, and how could Johnny resist? Not when it comes to Taeil hyung. He wraps his arms around Taeil to drag him even closer, and loses himself in the kiss.

It's Taeil who draws back first, Johnny mourning the loss. He stares at Taeil, who looks thoroughly...debauched. There is no other way to put it. His lips are red and swollen from when Johnny remembers biting down on it and his eyes are glazed and soft as he looks up at Johnny. He also looks a little bit smug, which is a new and great look on him.

"Now do you believe me?" Taeil says, demanding in his tone. Johnny just nods stupidly, literally rendered speechless.

Taeil smiles brightly and leans in for another kiss. "Good."

\---

The lost episode of NCT Life where they used it as a ruse to take baby Taeil to the park arrives to the dorm a few days later, delivered by a still contrite manager hyung. "We're still trying to get to the bottom of this 'curse'," he insists. "We really don't want it to happen to anyone else. Please don't sue us."

Taeil watches the footage and the video that Johnny took at the practice studio with Ten, his mouth gaping with horror and embarrassment the whole time. Good thing it is just the two of them in Johnny's room, wrapped up in the covers and each other. He buries his face in Johnny's shoulder after the videos finished playing.

"Burn it," he pleads. "Burn it all."

Johnny laughs and rubs Taeil's back, trying to comfort him. "Absolutely not. We are keeping this forever to use as evidence that Taeil hyung wasn't always the respectable, upright citizen he is today. In fact, he was a real pain in the ass."

"Hey, you take that back right now, Seo Youngho," Taeil says, outraged. He quits trying to hit Johnny with the pillow soon after and leans back against him, already tiring out. "I really did use up all my energy reserves when I was a kid," he muses. 

"I like you just the way you are," Johnny says with full sincerity and gets Taeil laughing in his face and ridiculing his cheesiness, but it's okay because Taeil is also snuggling against him, content.

**Author's Note:**

> This prompt was a lot of fun to fill. Thank you to whoever suggested it!


End file.
